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- Title
Essence, Potentiality, and Modality.
- Authors
Vetter, Barbara
- Abstract
According to essentialism, metaphysical modality is founded in the essences of things, where the essence of a thing is roughly akin to its real definition. According to potentialism (also known as dispositionalism), metaphysical modality is founded in the potentialities of things, where a potentiality is roughly the generalized notion of a disposition. Essentialism and potentialism have much in common, but little has been written about their relation to each other. The aim of this paper is to understand better the relations between essence and potentiality, on the one hand, and between essentialism and potentialism, on the other. It is argued, first, that essence and potentiality are not duals but interestingly linked by a weaker relation dubbed 'semi-duality'; second, that given this weaker relation, essentialism and potentialism are not natural allies but rather natural competitors; and third, that the semi-duality of essence and potentiality allows the potentialist to respond to an important explanatory challenge by using essentialist resources without thereby committing to essentialism.
- Subjects
ESSENTIALISM (Philosophy); POTENTIALITY theory (Philosophy); ACTUALITY theory (Philosophy); MODALITY (Theory of knowledge); THEORY of knowledge
- Publication
Mind, 2021, Vol 130, Issue 519, p833
- ISSN
0026-4423
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1093/mind/fzaa049